Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
This special edition focuses solely on the upcoming Operation Ivy tribute comp Mooorree Than Just Another Comp, due out in April via Sell The Heart Records and Lavasocks Records. Today we are speaking with Andy Pohl of STH. We rolled a FIVE.
1) Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! The first one I’d like to ask is: Why is Sell The Heart doing an Operation Ivy tribute, and why now?
Thanks for having me here for this. Well…. as far as the WHY is concerned, I mean… they are without question one of the most influential and dare I say “important” bands in punk. Though they may not have been the only band (or the first) to do so, they are the band that people generally point to as having highlighted the incorporation of ska and punk together. This brings me to the WHY NOW… there has been a bit of a resurgence in the ska scene, and while it isn’t the main catalyst for why we chose to do this now, it certainly added to our willingness to make it come to life. We aren’t the first label(s) to release a tribute album to Op Ivy, but we’re stoked to be doing it and we know we’ve put together a really solid lineup of contributing bands.
2) It seems that almost everyone I meet has a story about the first time they heard Op Ivy. Do you remember yours, and what does Op Ivy mean to you?
Truthfully, I couldn’t tell you exactly when I first heard Op Ivy, but I know that it was sometime in high school. To be perfectly honest, I am pretty sure I heard Green Day‘s version of “Knowledge” before I heard the original version (lol). Though I don’t think that is altogether an uncommon timeline for some folks, I got turned onto Op Ivy AFTER I was already familiar with many other punk bands, like Fugazi, Dead Kennedys, Green Day, Rancid, DEVO, Social Distortion, Minor Threat, NOFX, AFI, etc. I’m pretty certain that my first real intro to ska-punk was The Bosstones. Once I did start listening to them, I absolutely got hooked right away. They’ve remained a staple in my rotation for the last few decades (how wild is that???)
3) You’ve got a lot of great bands together for this comp. Kudos! I know at least two of these were previously released covers (American Television “Officer”, Eve 6 and WATU “Sound System”). But aside from that, and any others I may be unaware of, how did the assignments of the band to track come about? Was it a first-come-first-served free-for-all, did STH dictate who got what, or something in between?
Hey thanks! It was really great to get so many awesome bands together for this album. The vast majority of these are brand new recordings. The Chinkees version of “The Crowd” was also previously released, but I think that is the only other one that wasn’t specifically recorded for this album (I’d have to triple check, though). We really left it up to the bands to pick which track they wanted to do. As the list whittled down, it became a bit harder for some bands to figure out which one they wanted to do, but it all happened pretty quickly.
4) I’m sure you’re proud of every track on the album, and for good reason. But can you give us one that you think is a particular stand-out, and why?
Oh, absolutely! Every track is great, and I really like that there is a mix of “true to the original” as well as “re-inventing the wheel” a bit. If I had to pick JUST ONE that I think is a real standout, I’d go with Plush Palace‘s version of “Take Warning”. It stays somewhat true to the original as far as the energy goes, but the approach they took really made it more upbeat and danceable. Flying Raccoon Suit‘s take on “Missionary”, Michael J. O’Connor‘s version of “Uncertain” and my band Heater‘s version of “Plea For Peace” are others that I am particularly fond of.
5) Does Sell The Heart have any more tribute albums up their sleeves?
There are a few ideas we have for future tribute albums, but I will tell you, they are a bit of an undertaking. At this point I’ve been involved in 4 (Fugazi, Rancid, Jawbreaker and Op Ivy). A few bands I’ve considered include: The Toadies, Morphine, Murder City Devils, Skankin’ Pickle, Dead Kennedys and Primus. But, as of right now there are no solid plans for the next one, but that may be changing soon.
Mooorree Than Just Another Comp is due out 07 Apr 2023. You can preorder digitally at the STHR Bandcamp. For physical releases on vinyl (inventory is going fast!) visit the Sell The Heart or Lava socks web stores.
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He’s lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.
